Helical-grip paper pencil.



No. 673,469. Patented May 7, |90I.

D. M. DIGK'INSON.

HELICAL GRIPPAPER PENCIL;

(Application lediept. 13, 1900.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES. C. a v INVENTOR.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

DVIGHT M. DICKINSON, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOTHOMAS J. CARR, OF SAME PLACE.

HELlCAL-GRIP PAPER PENClL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 673,469, dated May i7,1901.

Application filed September 13, 1900. Serial No. 29,897. (No model.)

To all 1071/0721, t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, DWIGHT M. DIoKrNsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, haveinvented a new and useful Helical-Grip Paper Pencil, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of leadpencils in which independentleads are used, and has for its object to provide a pencil of thischaracter which shall be neat and attractive in appearance, light,thoroughly reliable, able to stand hard usage without injury, and, mostimportant of all, which may be produced at a mere fraction of the costof any pencil of the class now upon the market.

With these ends in view I have devised the novel pencil I will nowdescribe in which the lead is held in place by a helix of paper throughwhich it passes, the helix forming a grip or clutch which holds the leadfirmly in place, but which permits it to be readily adjusted or removedand a new one placed in position at the convenience of the operator.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figurel is an elevation of my novel pencil complete; Fig. 2, a longitudinalsection corresponding therewith; Fig. 3, an elevation of the helicalgrip and the lead removed; Fig. 4, a plan View of a blank of paper forthe helical grip; and Fig. 5 is a cross-section, on a greatly-enlargedscale, of the helical grip and the lead, showing the coating of sizeupon the lead.

A denotes the case; B,a rubbereraser,which may or may not be fixed inone end of the oase; C, a lead, and D my novel helical grip.

The case may be made of any suitable material, as metal, Wood, rubber,or paper. A very inexpensive anddurable case and one susceptible of anydesired amount of ornamentation may be made from a strip of paper rolledon a mandrel, the outer coils of the strip being glued or cementedtogether. If the cases are made from separate blanks of paper, a taper,as at l0, may be formed at the open end of each case by tapering thatedge of the blank, the end of the blank that forms the inner coil of thehelix being made slightly widerthan the other. Ihaveshown thecaseas madewith its inner and outer sides parallel.

It should be understood, however, that this is a matter of noconsequence whatever so far as the principle of my invention isConcerned. It' preferred, the case may be made to taper from either endtoward the other, or it may be made of greatest diameterintermediate theends and may be made of uniform or varying thickness. The lead may ofcourse be of any size, color, or hardness that may be desired. Animportant feature of my invention, however, is that I cover the leadswith a coating of size, which I have indicated by 11 in Fig. 5 and thepurpose of which I shall presently more fully explain.

12 denotes a washer or plug which may or may not be xed at the inner endof the lead and may be formed from a roll of paper or in any suitableand inexpensive manner. This Washer is adapted to pass freely into thecase, and when used acts to hold the inner end of .the lead againstvibration, so that the pencil may be dropped in use without danger ofbreaking the lead.

The special shape of the blank of paper from which the helical grip ismade is of course not of the essence of my invention, the essentialfeatures of which are that the helical grip fit closely enough in theopen end of the case so it Will remain firmly in position in use, thatit have a longitudinal opening 2O large enough to receive the leadextending through it, that the outer portion only of the blank be gluedor cemented, so that all the inner portion of the helix will beunsecured, and that the blank be long enough to form a relatively hard,but at the same time thoroughly elastic helix, so that the lead will begripped firmly thereby. A blank shaped substantially asin Fig. 4 hasbeen found quite satisfactory in practice, as it provides a portion 13,which is adapted to fit closely Within the open end of the case, ashoulder 14:, which is adapted to rest against the end of the case andserve as a stop to limit the inward movement of the helical grip, asclearly shown in Figs. l and 2, and also a taper l5, which runs out onthe surface of the lead. In the blank shown it will be noted that theedges are straight, but not parallel, the blank being relatively Wide atthe end which forms the inner coil of the helix and tapering toward theother end, this IOO Vgrip and acting as a lubricant.

taper of the blank forming the taper 15 of the completed helical grip.The shoulder 14 of the completed helical grip is formed by re-v moving aportion of the blank at the end which forms the outer coil of thecompleted helical grip and on the side opposite the incline. Forconvenience in illustration l have indicated the inclined edge of theblank in Fig. 4 by 16, the stra-ight edge by 17, the relatively Wide endby 18, and the cut-away portion at .the opposite end by 19.

The operation of my novel pencil is as follows: It-should be borne inmind that the leads are covered with a suitable size or varnish-ol. e..,any sol utiou of gelatinous material, as glue, starch, or rosin, thatwill glaze the surface and prevent the graphite of the lead from rubbingoff upon the inner coil of the helical The eifect of the size upon thelead is to produce sufcient friction between the surface of the lead andthe inner coil of the helical grip, so that the lead will be held firmlyunder the ordinary conditions of use. When it is desired to adjust thelead, however- 11. e., provide a longer point-theoperator removes thehelical grip from the case, holds the helical grip with the thumb andnger of one hand, and turns the lead backward with the thumb and fingerof the other hand, at the same time pushing it forward as far as may berequired, or withdrawing itif required. Having adjusted the lead in thehelical grip, it is locked in place with ample lirmness for the ordinaryconditions of use by giving the lead a slight turn forward, the effectof which is to Wind the inner coil or coils of the helical grip tightlyabout the lead. If for any reason the lead should `not adhere withsufficient firmness to the inner coil of the helical grip, the difliculty may be remedied in an instant by removing the lead from thehelical grip, wetting it slightly, and again inserting it in the grip,at the same time turning it backward, and then when the lead is at thedesired adjustmentv in the helical grip turning it forward again, whenit will be firmly locked in place.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a pencil of thecharacter described the combination with a case, of a lead and a holdingdevice for the lead, said holding device being separate from the caseand consisting of ahelix of paper by which the lead is gripped and whichis itself adapted to engage the case.

2. A grip for pencil-leads consisting of a helix of paper having acentral opening to receive a lead, its inner coils loose and its outercoils secured together, and having a stop portion to engage a case toprevent longitudinal movement therein, substantially as shown, for thepurpose specified.

A grip for pencil-leads consisting of a helix of paper having a centralopening to receive a lead, its inner coils loose, its outer coils secured together and a shoulder 14, substantially as shown, for the purposespecified.

et. A grip for pencil-leads consisting of a helix of paper having acentral opening to receive a lead, its inner coils loose, its outercoils secured together and a taper 15 at one end, and a reduced portionat the other end to fit within acase, substantially as shown, for thepurpose specified.

5. A grip for pencil-leads consisting of a helix of paper formed from ablank having an inclined edge, a straight edge, a relatively wide endand a cut-away portion at the opposite end, substantially as shown, forthe purpose specified.

6. The combination with a case and a lead having its-surface coveredwith size, of a grip for the lead consisting of a helix of paper throughwhich the lead is passed, the inner coils of the helix being unsecuredand the outer coils being secured together, and having a stop portion toengage the end of said case.

'7. The combination with a case and a lead, of a grip for the leadconsisting of a helix of paper through which the lead is passed, saidgrip having ashoulder adapted to engage the end of the case to limit theinward movement of the grip.

8. The combination with a case and a lead having a Washer upon its innerend which is adapted to pass loosely within the case for the purpose setforth, of a grip for the lead consisting of a helix of paper which holdsthe lead and itself engages the case, said gripV having a shoulder toengage the end of the case to limit inward movement of the grip andlead.

In testimony whereof I ai'x my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DWIGHT M. DIOKINSON.

Witnesses:

A. M. Woos'rER, S. W. ATHER'roN.

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